Tales from Tartarus: The return of the Old Gods
Before a roaring campfire, little fillies and colts laughed and told jokes to one another while an older silver furred pegasus stallion watched over them with a smile. Watching such youth made him smile then called out, "Please everyone. You wanted a campfire story and a campfire story is about to told." Ears flicked as each of the fillies and colts soon sat around the campfire. With a small smile, the stallion cleared his throat, "Now, what story did you all wish to hear again?" The colts murmured amongst themselves, some conversing with the fillies as well while the fillies did the same. Soon they came to a consensus and one of the fillies asked, "Umm, Silver Quill sir? Could you tell us a story about Tartarus?" The stallion cocked an eyebrow, the young ponies wanting to hear of a story where supposedly evil creatures were imprisoned and the gates of Tartarus guarded by the great three headed canine, Cerberus.
"Aren't you all a little bit young to be hearing a story like this?" Silver Quill asked, getting up then walking over to his saddlebags to unclip then pull out a battered book from his saddlebag which bore a silver feathered quill and a half-written book. He walked back to the campfire and laid it before him to unclasps the lock keeping the book closed. The colts and fillies nodded eagerly, smiling widely and couldn't wait to hear the story. Silver Quill smiled then flipped open the book with his hoof while he got comfortable laying on his belly, "Well alright then. I can't exactly tell you about Tartarus considering nopony has ever seen inside of Tartarus and returned... However though, there is plenty of stories of those who supposedly came from Tartarus." The young ponies squealed in excitement and clapped their hooves together. Looking down at the book after making sure it was far away from the fire and clearing his throat, the stallion smiled then began to read from the book, "Our tale begins after the ascension and crowning of Princess Twilight Sparkle..."
In the Southern Badlands, on the outskirts of changling country, the great three headed dog Cerberus stood at ever vigilant attention for anyone who dared to approach the great gates of Tartarus. Behind this gate of Tartarus, a vast ocean of lava surrounded somehow a fertile and green mass of land thrives. Ornate buildings stood tall and proud whilst ponies went about their business, running stores, pulling carts, maintaining their buildings and clouds. These ponies went about as if this was normal, being on an isolated mass of land but surrounded by a lava. Upon a great hill was a palace of ancient architecture, built from marble pillars, polished stone while it was decorated with heartwood furniture and dyed wool tapestries depicting a platinum colored alicorn with a blazing orange mane sitting regally above a shield with two swords crossing behind it. Wording was stiched within the tapestries that read "Pax Æterna."
The hoofservants worked to and fro, keeping the floors shiny and polished while others dusted the shelves containing scrolls and tomes riddled with wax seals and ancient words respectively. Upon a marble dais, the platinum colored alicorn sat upon a grand bench made of the heartwood atop the dais covered with a large feather pillow that was dyed a royal purple while being fed grapes from a unicorn mare hoofservant. The alicorn held herself with the air of a Princess and when she was finished with the grapes, the alicorn looked at the unicorn mare that fed her the grapes then smiled. The unicorn smiled back and bowed, setting the rest of the grapes in a bowl when a pegasus stallion approached the bottom of the dais and bowed before the alicorn, "My goddess, he has arrived."
The female alicorn nodded toward the messenger pegasus, grining, "Everyone, please leave me and send him in on your way out." The alicorn commanded gently as she watched the numerous hoofservants courteously before all the stood in the room after the doors had shut was the alicorn goddess and a lone alicorn stallion. The male alicorn slowly approached the dais and as the alicorn upon the dais smiled wider as he approached before standing up from the bench and slowly walking down the dais to meet the alicorn stallion at halfway. Once they reached each other, the alicorn goddess crooned her head to the smaller alicorn before him with her horn glowing softly. The alicorn stallion's horn glowed in return while a smile was plastered across his face then their horns touched, sparks parting between the gaps of their horns before starting to nuzzle each other. After a moment of silence, the alicorn stallion spoke up, "Greetings, mother." The goddess smiled softly wider to herself as she spoken to and replied, "Welcome home, my son. Did you complete your training?" Her voice went from sweet and warm to strict and stern but still bearing that motherly tone. Slowly the male nodded, "Yes mother, I have done my training for the day."
The elder alicorn smiled softly, draping a wing over her child to indulge his old memories. The male alicorn smiled and closed his eyes, feeling his mother's feathers running over him before looking up at her, "I recall you mentioning this morning that we were going to see dad." She flicked her ears before nodding, "That is correct. Let us leave to see your father. I have something to tell you after we see him, Indomitable Bulwark." He raised his eyebrows upon hearing his name but soon nodded, "Alright."
The pair of alicorns left the ornate palace interior to the gardens that fews ponies tended to the flowers, several of the flowers were bluebells, sunflowers, daffodils, snapdragons, and various other flower species. Approaching a hill with a lone weeping willow tree and a lone tombstone atop the hill. The alicorns laid on their bellies before the tombstone, the engraving was worn but still clear in its message.
Here Lies Nimbus Cloud
Caring Husband
Loving Father
Honorable Stallion
May His Life Transcend Death And Teach Us His Virtues
Bulwark was the first to start speaking, "Hey father... How are you today? Enjoying the nice day? Oh I can't complain. Mother makes sure I continue my training and you would've been proud to see how I've grown. Many of our ponies say that I am your spitting image but I always tell them that is taking it just a litte far. You were an amazing stallion in your own right and time." The mother alicorn gently smiled and held back tears as her son spoke to her deceased husband as if he were still living and responding to his words. After Bulwark had finished speaking, she began, "Yes, I'm here, my dear Nimbus. I've missed you too. It is true what your son says. He keeps up with his training but today is a really big day. There is grim tidings that have been encroaching on the edges of the land we've made hospitable here in Tartarus. The evils that kept to their own are encroaching on our lands, not to take them but to reach the gate. They can sense it. The seals are weakening. In my name, Pax Æterna, I must send our son out from Tartarus to bring a warning. How did we do this? We've been rationing the focusing crystals and our best unicorns and myself. Our combined magic will open the gate long enough for Indomitable Bulwark to slip through. He must do this. The overworld may have forgotten about us but we have not forgotten them. We can bring them their salvation from what evils once plagued the overworld and send them back if they get loose. I'm sorry, my sweet Nimbus Cloud... there is no other alternative and he is the only one capable of doing this."
A silence fell over the grave then the two slowly rose to their hooves and after bowing their heads in silent prayer, they made their way back to the palace but more specifically to a part of the palace constructed of basalt. As they passed through iron doors, they were greeted by a sharp increase of temperature and the sound of a hammer banging against metal on an anvil. An dark coated earth pony toiled in front of a grand forge, hammering away at a helmet he was working upon before his eyes caught the platinum colors of Pax Æterna and Indomitable Bulwark. "Aaaaah! You have arrived right on time!" The pony welcomed with a deep voice, "Your order is complete, Goddess. After many months, I have completed it." The pony quickly trotted over to a mahogany wood box and pulled it out before putting it on a side table before the two alicorns whom promptly moved over to see what was within the box.
The earth pony opened the box and revealed a platinum silver medallion, adorned with a shield and two swords crossing behind it from the tops, "Making the armor was easy, Goddess. The magic needed to condense it down to this size was the tricky part. But it is done." He then sealed the box and nudged it over to the two alicorns. Pax Æterna lifted the box with her magic and nodded at the blacksmith, "Thank you Shatter Steel for doing this immense task." Shatter Steel bowed, "It was my pleasure to work with such an art that hasn't been performed in almost a millenia. It took the better part of the year to finish it, with the armor design to condesne down and the magic to do it in the first place." Indomitable Bulwark remained quiet, questions in the back of his head wondering why such armor was ordered to be made by his mother but decided to save it until they were in private again.
Pax Æterna nodded then started to leave the smithy with Indomitable Bulwark in tow, heading back to the throne room. Taking her spot upon the heartwood bench, she looked upon her son, "My son, there is grave tidings from the borderlands. Scout reports indicate that malevolent spirits are amassing in number to follow under a single banner. What is even more grave is the motive for these isolationist spirits to fall under one banner is unthinkable..." Indomitable sat on his haunches as he listened to his mother, taking her pause to ask questions, "What is it that motivates them? Do they move to attack us? Are they seeking to take our 'heavenly' slice of Tartarus?" Pax Æterna waved her hoof to silence her son, "My son, do you recall how our ponies were brought here?" Indomitable nodded, "Through a gate of Tartarus that was magically sealed over a millenia ago." A silence fell over then eventually his eyes went wide, "Mother... do you mean to say that the seals that keep the gates closed are weakening?"
Pax Æterna slowly nodded, "Yes. Even now I can sense its magic fading. It's not weak to the point where brute force could force the gate open but with a high concentration of magic at this point, some could escape. This is why I summoned you my son. For you see, it is not just our gate that is losing its protective power... Reaching out as far as I can with my senses, I can tell that other gates that lead from Tartarus to the overworld are weakening. A message must be sent to the overworld's leaders." Pax Æterna rose from her bench, looking upon her son with disheartened gaze and her heart was heavy, "It is with great reluctance I have chosen to send you, Indomitable Bulwark, first born son of Nimbus Cloud and Pax Æterna, to bear this message and do everything in your power to rally the forces of the overworld against the evil denizens that gather to burst forth from their respective gates. I'll do what I can to stall for time here but..." Pax Æterna shook her head, looking up at Indomitable Bulwark, "My son, don the medalion."
Indomitable looked down upon the wooden box and opened the box then stared upon the medalion. Lifting it up with his magic, he slipped it over his head and looked up at his mother as he was confused of what was going to happen. "Repeat after me, Bulwark: My shield, unmoving. My sword, unforgiving. My armor, unbreakable. My morale, unshakable. I am at the speartip, moving to end strife. I am the shield that defends the weak, who cannot defend themselves. For eternal peace, I march for war to end war. I fight war so nopony else has to, for peace and harmony may reign once more so I can lay my sword to rest!" Indomitable Bulwark cleared his throat, repeating his mother, "My shield, unmoving. My sword, unforgiving. My armor, unbreakable. My morale, unshakable. I am at the speartip, moving to end strife. I am the shield that defends the weak, who cannot defend themselves. For eternal peace, I march for war to end war. I fight war so nopony else has to, for peace and harmony may reign once more so I can lay my sword to rest!"
The medalion hummed and glowed with magic before condensed plates of armor surged forth from the medalion. Indomitable Bulwark was startled as his body was sudden armored, taking several steps back as his armor was covered in somewhat reflective platinum armor which covered him from his flank to his head. The armor formed around his wings and horn and left him armored from head to hoof save for the wings and horn. Across his back rested a shield and a broadsword similar to what he trained with. Pax Æterna smiled just slightly seeing the armored alicorn before her and slowly came down from the dais, "My son," She started which grabbed Indomitable Bulwark's attention, "You are ready."